This invention relates to a quick-acting closure unit for temporarily closing off a line used to convey a fluid under pressure and, in particular, to a quick-acting closure device that is able to be rapidly and securely attached to the open end of a fluid line without causing serious line damage.
In the construction of multiple-story buildings, it is desirous to bring water up to each floor as quickly as possible to better facilitate completion of the work. Accordingly, it is the practice to install the vertical risers, which are used to carry water to the various floors of the building, in a floor by floor sequence with new sections being added as each new floor is erected. The water lines thus, in a sense, follow the work as it progresses. The end of the riser thus must be temporarily closed off at each floor level until such time as the next level is ready for completion. Closure of the line has heretofore been accomplished generally by threading some type of cap onto the end of the line or driving a plug therein. In any event, the closure device usually would severely damage the line whereby the damaged portion would have to be cut away before a new section could be added. This procedure has proven to be not only inconvenient and troublesome but also time-consuming, wasteful and costly.
Similarly, many sub-assemblies that are eventually connected into pressurized fluid systems must be thoroughly tested before the unit is delivered into the field. Typically, one or more lines used to join the unit to the system must be temporarily closed off while the tests are being conducted. Here again, providing a good reliable seal without causing damage to the lines oftentimes proves to be a problem.